This is a terrific example of a movie practically stripped down
to the bare essentials. It's about as minimalist as possible,
confining its characters to one location for its 104-minute
running time. Like Richard Linklater's Tape, the three
characters of Andrew Moorman's Sympathy occupy a motel
room. Dialogue tells the story of disgruntled bank robber, Trip
(Steven Pritchard) and his teenage hostage Sara (Marina Shtelen)
whom he takes to the motel room to figure out his options. He
accidentally shoots Sara in her shoulder, and is forced to leave
her handcuffed to the bed so he can get food and supplies to
treat Sara's wound. Trip's situation becomes more complicated
and volatile when he returns only to find an escaped convict,
Dennis (Aaron Boucher) in the room. Dennis is now in control as
he takes Trip and Sara hostage. Sara -- still in excruciating
pain -- must pit both Dennis and Trip against one another in
order to ultimately escape from her captors and survive the
nightmare. If the plot sounds basic, that's because it is.
Though the movie sounds simple with its barebones plot, the
movie has more than a few tricks up its sleeve along the way to
involve you. With twists and turns around every corner, Sympathy is cunning, sly and unpredictable.

Further descriptions on the story would ruin the surprises which
await you. To refrain from such, it is best recommended to
watch the movie with a blind eye. The best way to fully realize
the movie is to focus on the characters. Trip may be a bank
robber, but he really seems in over his head for the most part,
especially when he is compared to Dennis. Dennis comes across
as a sick sociopath, who seems to love the power he has on his
captives, mentally and psychologically. His overall appearance
ups the intensity level. As he becomes more dangerous, the
movie becomes more calculating and capricious. Even if Sara is
bleeding and handcuffed on the bed with the pair of Dennis and
Trip in the room, she is a slick, strong-willed character who
knows what to do and when to act. It's hard to determine the
main character of it all because Sympathy is about all
three characters. They all tell a story of their own in their
eccentricities, attitudes and complicated agendas. The film is
essentially a power play, which constantly shifts and tilts. At
times bloody and grim, it racks the suspense with the
psychological games. A fair balance of 70's grindhouse and
Hitchockian elements, Sympathy can be recognized best as
a psychological horror set within the "thriller" world. It's a
riveting, taut piece of entertainment.

Themes of control and power are heavy here. There's a bit of
sexual interplay going on with Dennis confronting Sara, while
handcuffed, saying it has been a long time since he slept with a
woman. Later in the movie, Dennis sticks the barrel of the gun
into her mouth after saying the weapon is like an extension of
one's body. This part of the movie is quite intense, and it's
moments such as this where the characters really threaten each
other with tough dialogue and hard stares and the performances
shine. Marina Shtelen, who currently acts in day time soaps
with The Young and the Restless, is a revelation. She
deserves future roles with challenging work, and it'd be
wonderful to see her act more. Aaron Boucher and Steven
Pritchard are fantastic playing off each other. The actors must
have truly studied their roles, and they accomplish a lot with
limited space. There is no reason these actors shouldn't have
more roles.

Sympathy
is about as contained as a movie can get. When you have a movie
as contained and minimalist, it's much easier to pinpoint any of
its shortcomings. The movie is not without a few shortcomings
of its own. Certain moments drag and linger too long and the
movie needed an edit to trim it from 104 minutes. Furthermore,
it needs to be mentioned you need to suspend belief with the
story as it progresses. Some viewers may pick it apart piece by
piece, but others may not worry much and simply go along for the
ride. Shot with a $6,500 budget, the filmmakers don't rely on
anything fancy to tell the story but the excellent sound design,
score and cinematography. Visually, the motel room interior may
make the film seem drab or uninteresting, but the camera is
top-notch in the way it's always in the right place and properly
placed. Based on his own play, Arik Martin's characters are
rats trapped in a tight, claustrophobic maze of their own
making, getting deep inside each other's heads.

For an independent feature to accomplish so much with so little,
Sympathy is extremely impressive. Taking into account
its budget constraints, the movie proves how small indie films
deserve its own audience. Thankfully, Vicious Circle Films
released the movie on DVD. Here's to hoping Sympathy
does not stay under the radar for long.